Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan testimonies begin at the National Labor College near Washington, D.C., today and continue through Sunday. The event title hearkens back to the 1776 writings of Thomas Paine: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

Tomorrow, Friday March 14, 2008, The Crisis in Veterans' Heathcare panel will be convened from 11:00AM – 12:30PM EST. From the event schedule:

This panel will look at neglect and abuse of veterans and service members with regards to their mental and physical health. Testimonies will include accounts about the impact of an under-funded Veterans Administration, injured soldiers being forced back into combat without fully recovering from their wounds, cases of the military’s denial of mental healthcare for those suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome and exposure of service members to depleted uranium munitions and other hazardous materials.

(Speakers: Martin Smith; Adrienne Kinne, IVAW member and worker in Veterans Administration; Eugene Martin, national organizer with American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO; Joyce & Kevin Lucey, parents of a son who committed suicide after being denied treatment for post traumatic stress syndrome; Zollie Goodman; Tod Ensign)

From [today] through Saturday the Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan hearings in Washington, DC will feature testimony from US veterans detailing what's really happening on the ground in these occupations.

They'll present photographs and videos, recorded with mobile phones and digital cameras, to back up their allegations of brutality, torture and murder. The event is inspired by the Winter Solider tribunal held in 1971 by Vietnam War vets, including, famously, John Kerry.

Winter Soldiers, according to Thomas Paine, are patriots who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours. With this spirit in mind, the current generation of Winter Soldiers are standing up to make their experiences available to all who are concerned about the direction of our country.

Some Americans may not agree with the desire for war veterans to come forward to speak plainly about their experiences -- especially while war still rages. And one quick Google News search using the keyword 'Winter Soldier' will show how little the mainstream media wishes or cares to cover the event.* But, if any group has earned the right to be heard on issues having to do with war and peace, it would be those that have worn the uniform in battle.

*Indeed, a new Pew poll shows an overall waning of media coverage of the Iraq War.

While a wide variety of events can trigger what's called post-traumatic stress disorder, this PTSD blog focuses solely on the combat-related variety.
As a new generation of warriors returns to civilian life and seeks out resources, PTSD Combat is here to help.

Considerable Quotes

"The first shamans earned their keep in primitave societies by providing explanations and rituals that enabled man to deal with his environment and his personal anguish. Early man, no less than we, dealt with forces that he could not understand or control, and he attempted to come to grips with his vulnerablity by trying to bring order to his universe." -- Richard Gabriel in No More Heroes

"War stories end when the battle is over or when the soldier comes home. In real life, there are no moments amid smoldering hilltops for tranquil introspection. When the war is over, you pick up your gear, walk down the hill and back into the world." -- OIF vet John Crawford in The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell

"After wars' end, soldiers once again become civilians and return to their families to try to pick up where they left off. It is this process of readjustment that has more often than not been ignored by society. -- Major Robert H. Stretch, Ph.D in Textbook of Military Medicine: Vol. 6 Combat Stress

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